Chapter Six
Max swore a few more times as Blake herded the humans into the chamber. The others gathered there watched with disapproving eyes as the women, clearly windblown and scared, came staggering along behind Blake, their hands clutching at each other and their faces showing that they were terrified.
Aura, Queen of the Windrow clan, stood. Her silver hair hung to her waist. Her silver eyes held fury. “What is the meaning of this?”
The others shifted and Jalen, King of the Murdock clan, also stood. “You dare bring humans in here?”
“I do.” Blake’s chin lifted. “How dare you demand I don’t? This is still my father’s house, as well as the house of Max’s father. We may not like it, having to share this place or our kingdom, but we do. That means I share the responsibility for the rule and the right to rule as I see fit.”
Aura shut her mouth. Max, who was amused by the situation despite his irritation, stood. His hand came up. “We didn’t make the law. It is what it is, as it has always been.” How he hated that cheesy phrase. It irritated him further that he had to use it too. His eyes went to the humans. The one with the broken boot was gorgeous, and she was also staring right at him. She was probably plotting his demise while she was at it. The other was too, most likely. Humans were fickle and dangerous. Human women were doubly so. He should know. He’d had a love affair with one that had nearly caused him to shed his right as half-king, and leave his lands forever, but that had been centuries ago, and he had never forgotten the hurt and misery she’d left in her wake.
Or that he’d almost lost everything for her and that she had not deserved that, or him. She’d wanted his heart all right, but only so she could use it in a potion that would make her an immortal human, one with magical powers that would ensure she had all the wealth and power she could ever hope for right at her fingertips.
Blake said, “They didn’t have any choice. Max brought them into this world, and now that they’re here they have no choice but to stay until the portal opens again.”
A gasp ran around the room. Max sent Blake a dirty look. “It was not intentional on my part.”
Blake said, “I’m sure Heather would say differently.”
Heather stumbled forward. “You grabbed us and brought us here! I was just having coffee, and you snatched us, and here we are!”
Max’s teeth clenched. Okay, she was right. But he had had no choice. Aura glared at him. “You did this?”
“I did. I had no choice. He would not let her go,” he pointed at Christy, “And she would not let her go. It was sort of an all or nothing proposition, to be honest.”
Aura sniffed, “Perhaps you should have left him over in that world and closed the portal instead.”
How he wished that he could have. But no matter what, Blake had to choose that life, and he had not. “That would be against the law. He did not choose to stay. I know some go, forget time is different, and stay because they adapt to that life and like it. That was not the case.” And no matter what, Blake was his cousin, his blood. Their fathers had fought a war together, and Blake’s father had been wounded terribly to protect the life of Max’s father. He had been banished and changed into a dragon for Max’s father too, because he had refused to leave him or let the wizard who had cursed them send Max’s father into the world they now inhabited alone.
The others there had all done the same. The blood debt ran deep, and the pact that stood between Blake and the end of his line had been the fault of Max’s father. He had had to broker peace in that fledgling new world, and he had, but that pact that had made the other dragons equal for the greatest part had left Blake’s line faltering and falling. Now they would fade out unless Blake found a woman to bear his children, and it seemed that that was just what he had been trying to do.
Max eyed the two women standing there. Maybe Blake should have gone a different route than those two though. Neither of them seemed a bit interested in having a dragon’s child or being in that world at all.
Aura said, “We have a problem then. That action is against the law. A human must seek the way themselves.”
Jalen rumbled out, “It is, and it always has been.”
“It was an indirect action that caused them to be here.” Max’s voice was firm and as much as he hated to do it, he added a lie to that, “They obviously chose to come along. I mean, they didn’t try to get away.”
Heather’s mouth fell open. Her eyes narrowed. Her lips parted, and she let out an indignant shriek. “You liar! I tried to hit you with a stick! If that’s not trying to get away, I don’t know what is!”
Christy added, “I tried to hit you with a fruit cocktail can. So yeah, consent must look way different over here if you thought that meant we wanted to go with you.”
Oh, would they ever just shut up! Max glared at the two, and they both subsided. He said, “We must return them.”
“Damn right,” Heather muttered, making his teeth clench.
He cleared his throat. “We can’t, not now, but as soon as the portal opens again, they will be sent back through to their world.”
Aura pointed out, “They will tell someone.”
Heather snorted. “People will think we are crazy and nobody would believe us. How soon can we go? I have a big case coming up, and I can’t be here. I didn’t really even have time for coffee.”
Max groaned inwardly. These two women were going to be a problem, and it was obvious, but what was the most problematic at the moment was that he could not seem to stop looking at Heather. Her face, lovely even though it was wan and drawn, kept making him want to stare at her.
He made himself look away. “The humans have a point. Someone take them to a room and see to it that they are comfortable.” And get that one out of my sight before this erection grows so much that everyone sees it.
That last was a real issue. His member was growing with every breath, and every time he looked at her it stiffened yet another inch or two. That would not do at all.
